Businesses like Renovators Paradise help us to create native habitats and regenerate our forests. When business owner Simon approached us to reduce their carbon footprint over a decade ago, we leapt at their offer to help.

Since 2012 we have been planting 15 trees for every car in Simon’s fleet, and this year we have planted another 135 trees (9 vehicles X 15 trees) and to date, we have now planted 1,029 native trees on behalf of this fabulous, sustainable business.

Site 1 |  The Grampians, VIC | 60 trees

Over the years, the McAllister family at Avon Plains, Grampians, have been a part of their local Landcare group, helping out with group projects on public land and on other member’s properties. This year, the McAllister family were the recipients of trees. These trees were part of a major on-going project to plant 2000 trees to help with the creation of a biodiversity corridor between 2 wildlife reserves and to continue to transition the property from industrial to  regenerative agriculture (less need for chemical sprays, more land put aside for wildlife). The trees were planted by WWOOF’ers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) Klara and James.

Site 2 | Campbells Creek, VIC | 75 trees

Seventy-five trees were planted by the Friends of Campbells Creek in Central Victoria, thanks to the support of Renovators Paradise. This Landcare group are gradually restoring native vegetation along the banks of the creek.

This is important work for several reasons:

• Land without native vegetation has very little habitat value and supports few species.
• Tree cover along the creek helps shade and cool the water, allowing higher oxygen content in summer and helping prevent toxic blue-green algal blooms.
• Leaf fall from native trees and shrubs also provides year round food supplies for the invertebrates that are the food supply for platypus, rakali, fish and other predators.

With the support from Fifteen Trees and their sponsors, we were able to extend our revegetation area.  As these plants grow, they will help exclude weeds, provide habitat for indigenous fauna, sequester CO2 and look beautiful!

Thea King | Secretary | FoCC

Huge shoutout to Simon and the team from Renovators Paradise for coming to the assistance of our native environment with a yearly contribution of trees.

Writer; Colleen Filippa

Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. Her background is in environmental education. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start Fifteen Trees. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise (putting people and planet first) that assists individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint through the support of community groups such as landcare, environmental networks and friends groups.